Violent Night 2: Cast, Story & Everything We Know

After a modest box office opening and relatively positive critical response for Violent Night, it has been confirmed that a sequel, Violent Night 2 is on the way. Directed by Tommy Wirkola, the pulpy low-budget David Harbour project sees a band of mercenaries battle with Santa Claus (Harbour), when they take a wealthy family hostage. With its tongue-in-cheek action and abundant references to previous Christmas movies, Violent Night delivered an entirely new experience that still packed in a lot of holiday fun.

From a narrative perspective, the relatively self-contained story of Violent Night gives the sequel plenty of creative wiggle room. Given that David Harbour’s Santa Claus was resurrected and survived the blood-soaked dénouement, the holiday anti-hero will be back in action, though he might be the only one returning. The first movie killed off many of its main characters, which necessitates a fresh start in the sequel. Thanks to the plot points set in motion in Violent Night, there are several ways that Violent Night 2 could work.

Violent Night 2 Latest News

A Production Start Time Is Revealed

Though it seems as if the planned production start time of early 2025 will come and pass, and the latest news finds David Harbour discussing Violent Night 2. The Santa Claus actor is currently busy with a slew of other projects, but took time to talk about the upcoming holiday sequel. While he couldn’t offer too much in terms of details, Harbour did mention that there are “some very talented people working on it.” As it stands now, it’s unclear exactly where the movie stands in the development phase.

Read Harbour’s full comments below:

Well, keep your eyes peeled because I also love that movie, and I think that Universal was excited about that idea as well. So we’re working a little bit. I do think there’s some very talented people working on it, so yeah, I’m excited about [it].

Violent Night 2 Is Confirmed

The Project Was Announced In 2023

Though the movie was a moderate box office success that performed modestly with critics, there was no guarantee that Violent Night would ever get a sequel. While there were a few speculative teases in the interim, it wasn’t until January 2023 that Violent Night 2 was confirmed as in development (via The Wrap). Since then, few updates have surfaced, but the project is still in the works. In March 2024, it was revealed that filming was planned for early 2025, but it seems like those plans have fallen through.

David Harbour is an in-demand actor in Hollywood, and prior commitments might sidetrack Violent Night 2 for quite some time. However, this would allow the script to be perfectly fine-tuned, something a low-budget flick truly needs to succeed. As it stands now, no release timeline is known, and that likely won’t arrive for some time. Even if the movie begins filming in 2025, it isn’t certain if it will arrive in time for the holiday season later that year.

David Harbour’s projects since Violent Night include:

Violent Night 2 Cast Details

David Harbour’s Santa Claus Will Return

As it stands now, the only cast member associated with the sequel is David Harbour as the blood-soaked vigilante Santa Claus that viewers met in Violent Night. Most of the main characters in the first film died, and that means returns are unlikely. On top of that, the anti-hero status of Santa means he probably won’t be teaming up with any of the survivors from Violent Night. Instead, the sequel could introduce other figures from Santa lore, such as Mrs. Claus, the elves, and others. However, until more information is available, the cast is pure speculation.

Violent Night 2 Story Details

The Sequel Could Explore More Of Santa’s Lore

Although it’s unlikely that Violent Night 2 will repeat the first film’s self-contained Die Hard-style plot, there are plenty of possible options for the sequel to explore. Given that the first film established that Santa is real, without showing many of the other tropes associated with his lore (such as elves or the North Pole), Violent Night 2 could well delve into the character’s backstory. Perhaps the trouble could come to Santa this time, and he must defend his workshop from some evil force.

A further consideration is that, now that David Harbour’s Santa is firmly established as a successful vigilante after the Violent Night ending, a sequel could see him dispensing a now-familiar brand of festive justice. The world could change after the revelation that Santa is real, and that could have a profound effect on his life. Whatever happens in Violent Night 2 it will need to be bigger and more explosive to top its predecessor.